Book Description
This is the New Edition of the world's best-selling review book on anesthesiology, combining comprehensive coverage of essential knowledge with an easy-to-use format. Its in-depth, yet succinct discussions cover all topic areas found on the ABA/ASA exam and make it the ideal way for readers to master the information they need to know.
Customer Reviews:
Great text.......2007-03-17
If you want a good review of all topics related to anesthesia, then this is it. The chapters being short, sweet but in depth, make for a quick but knowledge gaining read. Good book for the library of Anesthesia Assistants.
Anesthesiology Review (Anesthesiology Review).......2006-03-07
excellent book. read it when I was bored one day. wish i'd used it earlier when on the ICU rotations. probably would've become an anesthesiologist if I'd had it in med school. one dreams of writing a chapter in that book someday...
Fantastic for all specialties.......2004-08-08
This is one of those books that can be appreciated by almost every clinician. Dr. Faust has done a fantastic job of applying basic science principals to practice. After being away from the classrooms of medical school for awhile, one tends to become myopic and reliant upon specialty-specific pricipals. This book book helps dust off those cryptic vaults within the cerebrum and can really get the acetylcholine flowing.
Get this book!
One for the coffee table.......2002-05-05
I don't normally put my medical textbooks out for display, but I like to use this one as a conversation piece. Each chapter is well reasoned, concise, and suprisingly entertaining. The chapter entitled "Pharmacology of Hetastarch and Pentastarch" had me weeping. Med students - this book will help you fly through boards. Lay people - this book is a suprisingly good read. You know, I don't know this "Ron Faust," but I'm sure we would be instant friends if we ever met. I'd love to share a bottle of courvasier in front of a warm fire and discuss the finer points of anesthesiology with this man. My wife is sick of me talking about him.
A Medical School Must-Have.......2002-05-03
The Anesthesiology Review is the most comprehensive and informative text for medical students and anesthesiology residents. I am finishing up my third year at Duke Universtiy Medical School. I wish that all my text books were as easy to read and made subjects such as 'automatic internal cardiac defibrillator procedures' interesting.
Average customer rating:
- A very readable Faust, including the German!
- Goethe's Faust
- My favorite translation
- "Breathe, spirit, soar!"
- des Pudels Kern
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Goethe's Faust
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
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ASIN: 0385031149
Release Date: 1962-12-04 |
Book Description
The best translation of Faust available, this volume provides the original German text and its English counterpart on facing pages. Walter Kaufmann's translation conveys the poetic beauty and rhythm as well as the complex depth of Goethe's language. Includes Part One and selections from Part Two.
Customer Reviews:
A very readable Faust, including the German!.......2007-09-28
`Goethe's Faust', translated and with an introduction by Walter Kaufmann was quite a surprising find, as I had been, in an earlier life, quite a fan of Professor Kaufmann's works, but I simply had no idea he had translated the `Faust' of Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, the most famous of the many different literary renderings of this story. My surprise is based on the fact that Kaufmann was primarily a professor of Philosophy, who also did several important translations of Friedrich Nietzsche's most important works. But, I had him pegged as primarily a late 19th century / early existentialist scholar, even though late in his life, he did do a scholarly work on Hegel.
Once having recovered from my surprise, I recalled that Professor Kaufmann had written several semi-scholarly articles on Goethe, which were published in his `Critique of Religion and Philosophy' and `From Shakespeare to Existentialism'. I was also delighted, in that Walter Kaufmann singlehandedly convinced me to major in philosophy, all the way to entering a doctoral degree program on the subject. So, I was really quite thrilled to find this volume, since I was simply looking for a simple, hopefully competent translation of the German into English.
Before I go too much further, let me point out that Herr Kaufmann decided to NOT include all of Part II! And, not only did he drop parts, he dropped the entire first four of five acts, leaving only the prologues and Act V. Now fortunately, I really only wanted Act V anyway, so my goals were met with this translation, but if you happen to be intent on reading the entire Part II, look elsewhere for the complete text.
Needless to say, the good professor had a relatively sound reason for excluding 4/5 of a work which is commonly considered one of the monuments of 19th Century German literature. First, Part II was really a posthumous work, and Goethe really didn't spend as much time editing and refining it as he did with the much tighter Part I, which is actually performed very regularly in Germany and by many German faculties in U.S. colleges. The second reason is that most of Part II is deathly dry and not a pleasure to read. I can attest to this, having tried to read parts of it many years ago in a relatively pedestrian translation.
That aside, Herr Kaufmann promises us that his translation, which appears on the right side of the page, facing the original German text on the left, will leave nothing out and add nothing not said by Goethe's words. This is fine, but all one has to do is read a literal translation of some New Testament material to realize that a closely literal translation may not be the best of all possible worlds. My German is very rusty, and I am not a scholar of translations in general, but I do find Kaufmann's translation quite literal. Unfortunately, Herr Kaufmann is NOT a poet, and even with my creaky German, I can easily see how there is much in the tone of Goethe's German which is not captured by the English. I found it very interesting that Kaufmann made a point of quoting Edgar Allan Poe on some points, because I find Kaufmann's translation of Goethe's verses to come out sounding remarkably like Edgar Allan Poe's verses, especially those in `The Raven'.
Joined with this faithful translation is a fine introduction to the work, seeing Goethe's work far more from the philosophical rather than the literary point of view. Kaufmann's primary thesis is that Goethe's world view has much more in common with later 19th century literature and thought than with the 18th century, let alone the origins of the Faust legend. Here, I was really surprised to discover that the origins of the Faust story arose not only from a real person, but a real contemporary of Martin Luther. This little connection tickled me to no end, as I was researching Faust Part II to find an example of some thoughts in Paul's Letter to the Romans, one of Luther's favorite books of the Christian scriptures.
All in all, anyone who simply wants to become familiar with this work for their own pleasure can do much worse than use Kaufmann's translation, especially if you have some passing knowledge of German, so you can make use of the original text. And, I did verify Kaufmann's claim that in fact, Goethe's writing does contain an enormous amount of humor. That discovery alone makes this edition worthwhile.
Goethe's Faust.......2007-01-03
Good classic literature. Intense with human turmoil. Not recommended for a younger audience. Faust takes the internal conflict of deciding on right and wrong and turns it outward with the use of Mephisto. This shows what happens when you choose the worldly path as opposed to the honorable path. Our actions have consequences and not just for ourselves, but for those around us as well.
My favorite translation.......2006-11-17
Goethe makes me wish I could be handy with other languages, including German. Walter Kaufmann's translation was my introduction to "Faust" but I bought several others to compare how differently they would measure up to Kaufmann's. Since I do not know German I am left with appreciating the sense of what Goethe intended. One encounter seals my devotion to Kaufmann. As Mephisto and Faust approach the witches, the devilish dealer encourages Faust to seek fulfillment in tilling the earth. Mephisto tells Faust quite plainly that he will find what he is looking for through his own exertion. But Faust rejects that option and Mephisto then says, "We need the witch then after all" (pg237). The other two translations render the line differently and while they are interesting reading, I find so much passion and poetry in Kaufmann's that I inevitably rely on it above the others.
"Breathe, spirit, soar!".......2006-09-13
I have no doubt that this is the best English translation of Faust. It is certainly the translation for those who love the tale. All the life and humor and glory shines through. It is not a "scholar's" translation. It is still fully alive.
I know that people avoid Faust for being too formidable and daunting. They need not feel so. It is amazing just how smoothly the translation of Part One reads. You do not want to put it down. Yet it is so very accurate- a quick glance across to the opposing German original confirms that.
As for Part Two, it doesn't read quite so smoothly, but that is no fault of the translator, since the original German also lacks the perfect flow and polish of Part One. Goethe didn't have sixty more years to perfect it as he did with the first part. In fact, we are only given a translation of the first and last acts. The intervening three acts are summarized in the introduction. My sole criticism of this edition is that the summary should have been actually bound between these two acts so that you do not have to flip back to the introduction to refresh your memory. Still, you can piece the full flavor and meaning out of Part Two in spite of these obstacles.
The author tells us in the introduction that we shouldn't fall into the Germanic trap of analyzing the idea behind the story. He seems to insist that we appreciate it for poetry and characterization and leave it at that. To my mind that would be frivolous. The core idea in Faust is the tale of the German nation- indeed of most of western civilization. Faust the scholar and magician represents the dissatisfaction and arrogance of modern man. Not content with comprehending God's will and putting himself in accord with the Divine order he tries to play God himself in order to "improve" creation. He sells his soul to do this, but then he was incapable of faith in the first place (in spite of first hand dealings with the supernatural.) This is directly analogous to those scientists who unravel the glories and mysteries of creation every day, yet do not pause to appreciate the existence of a Creator. Needless to say, Faust's efforts always end in failure and dissatisfaction- and disaster for those whose life he touches (Gretchen.)
The second part is a continuation of this theme, for Faust has learned nothing in Part One. If anything he is more ambitious and insatiable. He seeks after gold, influence, power, command, land, even progeny and a trophy wife (Helen of Troy.) It all turns out twisted. In fact, just short of his final, hard-won triumph he suddenly drops dead from old age. Nothing lasting- except ill effects- remain of his life's constant striving.
Yet, Faust is saved. The translator says that this is unexplainable. He seems to attribute it to softness of heart on the part of Goethe. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As the Lord states in the Prologue: "A good man in his darkling aspiration/ Remembers the right road throughout his quest." In other words, the Lord knows that Faust was trying to do good- it was just that through his flaws and limitations he ended up making a mess of things. This was also Boethius' understanding- even when we do wrong it is out of a flawed quest to achieve the Good. Even Gretchen (who has now re-ascended to her place as part of the Divine Feminine) understands and forgives Faust. Faust has now the perspective to understand and learn from his errors on earth. He is now truly fit to teach other souls hard-won lessons of worth.
May this also be the ultimate fate of all modern men.
des Pudels Kern.......2006-04-04
The strength of this play is its story. Of course some quality is lost in translation and even an outstanding translator would not be able to copy the nuances of the original language. There are simply to much words and to much phrases for nearly one and the same in german. Wovon ich ein Lied singen könnte.
But Goethe is not about the beauty of words, his texts are based on conflicts which would be understandable in even the worst translation.
The conflict of ths play is between might and innosence, which are hard to combine. So it ist a modern theme, because there will be man seduced by power in every century. Even the desires will stay the same, a beautiful girl, respect and forbidden knowlege.
The translator worked all those thoughts out and did his job quite well. Some texts can be read in no time but stay in mind for years. Faust is some of this texts, buy it!
Book Description
Social network analysis, which focuses on relationships among social entities, is used widely in the social and behavioral sciences, as well as in economics, marketing, and industrial engineering. Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications reviews and discusses methods for the analysis of social networks with a focus on applications of these methods to many substantive examples. As the first book to provide a comprehensive coverage of the methodology and applications of the field, this study is both a reference book and a textbook.
Customer Reviews:
relatively useless.......2006-05-03
This book is basically a compilation of different things, most of them pretty useless. In particular, all the mathematical part is in view of the recent developments of network theory, totally obsolete. It seems a better investment to buy a network theory book or a "real" sociology book.
Understanding graph theory in many scenarios........2006-04-21
This book is supported in graph theory, the authors make a comprehensively use of matrix technique and short formulas for explaining how social groups are associated.
The issue is that you, independently of the field in which develop your tasks, can apply network analysis for a better understanding of the environment and their entities.
Congratulations to the authors.
Sergio Quijada
Lieutenant Colonel
PhD Student.
Easy to read, easy to understand, great introduction.......2006-03-13
I think, This book is the best written book I have ever read. I use it to teach my students how to write. My first language is spanish, but the book is so well written that is extremily easy to read and understand. And most important than this, it is an excelente and necessary book to introduce social network analisys to any new practitioner.
Not for anyone with Mathematics or Computer Science background.......2005-09-04
This book is unbelievably tedious and repetitious. There is very little actual content for the length of the book. It takes nearly 200 pages just to define some very basic terms from graph theory. This might have been fine if the space were taken up by some sort of meaningful discussion on the relevance of these graph theory concepts to sociological studies and theory. The book (possibly the field?) has the flavor of "here's a hammer, now what can we hit with it?".
Would have liked to see a format based on justification of the analytic techniques from sociological principles, or something much much more concise. Nothing much to see here, move on.
social network analysis: a good book.......2005-08-29
i purchased this book for my research purpose. after reading several chapters, i found this book is really helpful. you can consider it as a handbook for social network analysis, if you want to do some relevant research. you also could use it as an introductory reference, if you want to know something about social network analysis even you have not started such a kind of research yet. anyway, this book is not so expensive, while offering you enough knowledge in this area.
Book Description
In Myths of Modern Individualism, the renowned critic Ian Watt treats Don Juan, Don Quixote, Faust, and Robinson Crusoe as "individualists," pursuing their own views of what they should be. The original Counter Reformation myths saw the individualism of Don Juan, Don Quixote, and Faust as a problem to be quelled by death or mockery. However, the Romantic period, a time more favorably disposed toward myth, saw their dissension not as unacceptable disorder, but rather as admirable and heroic behavior. This incisive study traces attitudes toward these figures and the Romantic product Robinson Crusoe from disapproval to awe to skepticism, examining them as icons of such problems as solitude, narcissism, and the claims of the self versus the claims of the community. Pointedly, none of these figures marries or has a lasting relationship, save for the selfless devotion of a single male servant. Watt argues that the myths of Don Juan, Don Quixote, Faust, and Robinson Crusoe remain the distinctive products of Western society, embodying the most basic values of modern culture.
Customer Reviews:
A Quick Read.......2000-04-10
Watt examines four famous characters from Western literature who have been reincarnated numerous times: Faust, Don Quixote, Don Juan, and Robinson Crusoe. He treats each individually in the first half of the book, and makes comparisions and discusses recent reworkings in the second half. The depth and breadth of Watt's knowledge of his four myths is readily apparent. Still, though, it's an easy read, intended perhaps for the non-expert. Even if you haven't read the original works yourself, it's easy to follow. The book hints at provocative issues in the creation and meaning of myth as well as "individualism," though Watt's theoretical musings aren't as rewarding or complete as his close analysis of the four figures. The work of history and translation on the transformation of myth is a fascinating subject, but Watt's book suggests far more questions than it answers.
Amazon.com
An ambitious undertaking, Faust's Metropolis : A History of Berlin aims to chronicle the history of Germany through the microcosm of its most dramatic city. Alexandra Richie's thousand page tome spans from the time of Nero to Helmut Kohl. It is an encyclopedic description of the Schicksal Stadt Deutschlands--the City of German Destiny--filled with the politics of rulers and the ideology of artists.
Richie doesn't romanticize Berlin; early on, she invokes Goethe's view of the city as bourgeois, brash, and onerous. "Like the metropolis in Faust it has always been a rather shabby place," Richie comments. "It is neither an ancient gem like Rome, nor an exquisite beauty like Prague, nor a geographical marvel like Rio. It was formed not by the gentle, cultured hand which made Dresden or Venice but was wrenched from the unpromising landscape by sheer hard work and determination." By placing her historical account in a world-encompassing perspective, the culture described in Faust's Metropolis comments on the whole of Germany and its people.
The author is most eloquent in describing the recent history of the city. As a resident during its divided years, she describes Berlin as the ultimate "border city," on the frontline of the dueling Weltanschauungs of the Cold War. Her tone is familiar in describing the changing face of the city, and her enthusiasm evident as the book moves into the modern era. Filled with the insights of its unique and myriad residents, Faust's Metropolis recounts Berlin's culture, providing the reader with a thorough history and authoritative analysis.
Customer Reviews:
Alexandra Richie Hates Berlin.......2006-02-04
I was assigned Faust's Metropolis for a survey of Berlin's history. I was surprised that it was out of print only ten years after it had been published... until I actually managed to read the entire book.
Richie has a hate-on, to be blunt; she does not like Germans at all, and constructs an elaborate story of how inherently backward Berlin and Berliners while going out of her way to flatter minor Polish historical figures that few people outside of Poland have ever heard of. (Meanwhile, she provides little meaningful evidence that, outside of crazed leaders like the Soldier King, Prussia was any more regressive than other autocratic states of the time such as Poland and France.)
One wonders if Richie is some sort of objectivist, because she soon dives into a biased, counterintuitive and sometimes lo-fact carnival of attack against common Germans, the labor movement and Yalta while hagiographizing Reagan.
Nevertheless, while Richie's work clearly needs work it is perhaps the best-researched concise history of early Berlin I'm aware of, which unfortunately isn't saying a lot.
Broad in scope but horrible bias.......2005-07-25
This book has several things going for it that I particularly liked. First off I appreciate how complete it is. While one could say that that the last 150 years of Berlin history were the most important, this book gives an account of Berlin from the first settlements in the area all the way up to reunification and beyond. I particularly appreciated learning about Berlin/Cölln in the middle ages as well as what the city experienced in The 30 Years War. The book is also extremely readable and quite engrossing.
The book staggers, however, when Richie comes to World War II. There are factual errors, as other reviewers have pointed out. Richie also falls into the camp that sees the allies as having given Berlin, East Germany, and Eastern Europe away to Stalin. She claims that Roosevelt just gave the city away, accusing him of "criminally stupid behaviour" and almost suggests that Roosevelt and Stalin were somehow conspiring against Churchill. Her argument would seem more convincing if, in the following four hundred pages, she did not go out of her way to portray anyone left of Joe McCarthy in the same light.
The problem with Richie's text is that it's about absolutes. Having read the text, one gets the sense that Churchill, Adenauer, Kohl, Reagan (yes, Richie falls to Reagan's feet too, I'm surprised she didn't claim that he tore down the wall single handedly) etc. could do no wrong, whereas the East German government was only evil, all the time, thanks to the assitance of Kennedy, Willy Brandt, and Günter Grass. Not a very healthy approach to history.
great overview of euro politics.......2004-12-31
Ms Ritchie tells the story of Berlin in a truly engaging manner,don't let the length scare you,even if you are a casual lover of history.This is no dry academic treatise.And Ms.Ritchie does a tremendously good job at explaining the origins of Socialism,Communism,and Nazism--and their terrible excesses.If you want a quick,readable grasp of European politics,read this and parts of Jacques Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence.
Let the man go, purgatory for Faust.......2002-09-11
This is a swashbuckling whole shebang account of moden Germany in a Berlin track-mind, long, yet fast, and is a good backdrop to the military history of the World Wars. The good detail piles up and the book gets better towards the second half, and was especially interesting from the inter-war period onward, with short but to the point snapshot accounts of the rise of Hitler after the cultural overdrive of the Twenties. It is good to zoom in for close detail, and then zoom out to keep the pace moving, given such a long range. That the book does. And that detail tells it best, sometimes in chilling fashion. Goethe or Marlowe's Faust. You be the judge.
Too broadly focused.......2002-06-29
The part of Richie's book that was truly about Berlin was good. The problem was that she spent too much time and space discussing the history of Prussia/Germany. What I wanted -- and what I assume you are looking for -- is a history of the city of Berlin. That is, when buildings were constructed, details of municipal government, urban planning, major social events pertaining to the city, etc.
Book Description
When Confederate men marched off to battle, southern women struggled with the new responsibilities of directing farms and plantations, providing for families, and supervising increasingly restive slaves. Drew Faust offers a compelling picture of the more than half-million women who belonged to the slaveholding families of the Confederacy during this period of acute crisis, when every part of these women's lives became vexed and uncertain. Faust chronicles the clash of the old and the new within a group that was at once the beneficiary and the victim of the social order of the Old South.
Customer Reviews:
Roots of the "lost cause" mentality.......2007-07-31
Faust does not try to hide her sympathy for these women or admiration for those who were resourceful, nor does she pull any punches in revealing their selfishness. The point of the book, however, was not to solicit sympathy for upper class white women, but to illuminate their influence on the outcome of the war and on the mind of the south as it evolved after the war. The ladies deserve much of the credit--and blame--for the "lost cause" mentality that holds sway with many Southerners still today. For that insight alone we owe a great debt to Drew Gilpin Faust.
Academic But Still Interesting.......2006-07-13
Mothers of Invention is a very academic analysis of the impact of the civil war on the notions of role and gender long held by the upper class women of the old south. It rocked their world, that's for sure and it sounds as if they surely needed it. It is based on the contents of letters and diaries written by elite aristocratic women whose biggest concern about the war was that they were unable to attend social functions or obtain silk and satin for their dresses. Or that their husbands would die and not come back and restore their former way of life.
The subject of this book is a single class of women - rich, white, spoiled and utterly despicible. These women complainted bitterly of how the war effected their miserable self centered lives with little concern about the effects the war had on those who fought it and what they were experiencing. The war meant little more to them than a threat to their way of life.
Ms. Faust tries to portray her subjects as victims and prisoners of their circumstances but these women were anything but. They embraced the supposed chains that bound them and had little concern for the profound and widespread pain and suffering caused for millions of others as a result of the war they so glamorized and romanticized.
This book is rather tedious if you are not a fan nor speaker of that odd language known as academia (why in the world does she include long diary and letter passages in French?) But it has some very good moments and will give the reader new insight into how truly horrid those magnolia queens really were. Not even a feminist writer sympathetic to anything in petticoats can hide that fact; as much as she tries.
Well organized, but seems to be missing some material.......2005-03-06
The first thing to know when you pick up this book, is that first, it deals basically only with diaries and letters, and that probably only a woman interested in the history of women would be interested. The entire book is very...well, womanly. I did enjoy what I learned about Southern women (and believe me, it is ONLY slaveholding woman, as the title suggests), but I couldn't help but ask why Faust did not ever mention anybody over the age of about 30. If they don't have any records of any diaries of older women, she should have said so, because I was wondering about it the entire time. Basically it only covers how women felt about their husbands being gone (wanting protection, resorting to writing as comfort, scared about slave uprisings, etc) but hardly anything was said about SONS being gone. Where were they? And only a little bit more was said about fathers being gone. Over all, I did learn about women during the Civil War from the South, but only a very small portion of them. I would probably only recommend this book as an asset to research about women in the 19th century, or to anyone who wonders what else was going on in the country apart from the war.
Good, but a bit misleading.......2004-11-05
Reading this book, I got the impression that the author buys into the impression most people have of pre-war Southern women - the vapid Southern belle who basically did nothing until the war began, then suddenly she had to run the plantation. Not true! If one reads diaries and letters of the period, the daily running of the home was left to the women - managing the slaves (if the family owned any). Women handled a good deal more of the marketing and financial running of farms, especially, than is generally believed. Perhaps women weren't involved in politics, but the backbone of southern life was the home and that was the woman's province. Women proved their capability before and during the war by managing the homefront. As for refugees - the tales told by thousands of women who were forced to flee their homes are far in excess of the numbers suggested by the author. The worst atrocity of the war - the hundreds of women captured by the Union in Roswell, Georgia - is ignored. The author also suggests that support for the war by southern women waned as it went on, another questionable fact in light of the many diaries of the period and the tremendous outpouring of grief at the surrender. Most women couldn't bear to record the end of the Confederacy in their diaries and surviving letters are filled with bitterness. Still, this book is an excellent researcher. Also recommend Juanita Leisch's books on "Civil War Civilians" and "Who Wore What" although her fashion research should be taken with a grain of salt as it is theory only based on a sampling of period photos.
Excellent overview of elite women's Civil War experience.......2002-11-21
In "Mothers of Invention," Drew Gilpin Faust explores the ways in which the Civil War transformed traditional gender roles among middle- and upper-class southern women. Gilpin theorizes that Confederate women certainly were aware of the effect that government policies had on their lives-even if the leaders, at times, were not-and that women's views conscription, home defense, economic production and slavery influenced and, ultimately, undermined their support for the war.
Her key point seems to be that the war overturned the "social contract" in which elite women accepted subordination and dependence for male protection and privilege. Although men were off protecting their homes in the abstract sense, women were left to deal with the day-to-day realities of food shortages and an invading army occupying their homes.
Narrowing exceptions to the draft, the military's refusals to grant furloughs in times of great family need, and government policies regarding food requisitions especially galled women. Faust puts a particularly interesting gender perspective on the draft exemption for those owning 20+ slaves. Normally, this exemption is viewed solely in class terms: "Rich man's war, poor man's fight." Faust, however, brings attention to the fear that white women experienced being left alone to manage large slave populations without a man's help. Women feared murder and uprisings from a slave population that was growing increasingly rebellious. The priority ultimately given to equitably treating draft-age white men and the burden of managing slaves led to a decline in women's support for the slave system and for the Confederacy, she argues.
In addition to slave management, Faust explores other ways in which the war caused elite white women to step into traditional male roles. From the very beginning, secession and the war led to much greater involvement by women in the public sphere. Although politics had been considered the province of men, secession was a topic that no one could stop discussing-women included. The banding together of women to support the war effort also proved a new experience for southern women. Unlike their northern sisters, southern women typically had not been involved in social organizations before the war.
Faust's book includes a fascinating discussion about attitudes toward the refugee experience. In particular, she notes that becoming a refugee was the civilian equivalent of buying a substitute for the draft. A refugee, the term implied, had the money and connections to make a planned departure from home-often to protect property. In support of this view, she cites the diary of Mary Lee of Winchester, who disdained the term refugee in favor of "displaced person" to describe those fleeing with little in the face of the enemy.
"Mothers of Invention" contains one of the most interesting analyses of the hoop skirt that I have seen. Faust notes that the trend for full skirts, ultimately supported by hoops, coincided with the Victorian ideals of domesticity and women's separate sphere. The caged crinoline or hoop offered women a portable enclosed private space and the wide skirts symbolized a circle in which women were protected. In an era where upper-class women's sexuality was repressed, the style also hid and reformed female anatomy. The conspicuous consumption of fabric and the difficulty performing physical labor in these skirts made a class statement as well.
"Mothers of Invention" provides a good overview of the different ways that the war affected southern women's lives, including changes within the household, relations between husbands and wives, paid employment outside the home, the likelihood that young women would remain single due to the deaths of so many young men, religious views on the war, increased educational opportunities for women, dealing with Yankee men, etc. Her accessible writing style and use of interesting quotes and numerous pictures make this a relatively quick read. The book is well-organized with subheadings that make locating important points quite easy.
For those interested in exploring the southern woman's war experience, this book would be a good starting point for gaining some good general knowledge. Readers should keep in mind, however, that Faust is focusing on elite and middle-class women, and that the experiences and attitudes she describes do not reflect the lives of lower-class women.
Book Description
Walter Arndt's translation of Faust reproduces the sense of the German original and Goethe's enormously varied metrics and rhyme schemes. This edition presents Parts I and II complete.
Cyrus Hamlin provides essential supporting material for this difficult text, and his Interpretive Notes have been expanded and reset in larger, easy-to-read type. Comments by Contemporaries includes short pieces by Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Carlyle, and Wilhelm von Humboldt.
Modern Criticism-comprised of ten essays newly added to the Second Edition-presents the perspectives of Stuart Atkins, Jaroslav Pelikan, Benjamin Bennett, Franco Moretti, Friedrich A. Kittler, Neil M. Flax, Marc Shell, Jane Brown, Hans Rudolf Vaget, and Marshall Berman. A Selected Bibliography is included.
About the series: No other series of classic texts achieves the editorial standard of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with contextual and critical materials that bring the work to life for students. Careful editing, first-rate translation, thorough explanatory annotations, chronologies, and selected bibliographies make each text accessible to students while encouraging in-depth study. Each volume in the series is printed on acid-free paper, and every text remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice of excellence for scholarship for students at more than 2,500 colleges and universities worldwide.
Customer Reviews:
Incredible...absolutely incredible.......2006-02-17
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a marvel. How he managed to write a dark, complicated, and immensely riveting play based loosely on the life of Dr. Faustus is beyond my imagination. This is truly a great work of art.
This book, containing only the English translation, contains detailed commentaries, selected illustrations, Goethe's own remarks about Faust, observations from modern playwrights, and so much more. A great buy.
Amazing.......2005-03-09
The text of Faust itself is brilliant. It is so richly detailed, it is an amazing and spellbinding story - though very disorienting. A detailed knowledge of poety, Greek Mythology, and other things will add to successful reading of this complicated text. The translation is very good with only a few errors.
On the flip side of the coin, the book is laiden with notes, interpretations, and valuable details. For anyone seriously going to study Faust, not in the original German, this is for you.
Five bright stars........2002-04-03
"Vainly in the day time labored, pick and shovel, clink and strike." Goethe worked on Faust for much of his career, but composed some of the best of Part II in a time of life when most are in their rocking chairs or in the intensive care ward of the local nursing home. Goethe in his late seventies and early eighties would rise in the early dawn and compose some of the best poetry written. "I would elevate my mind to a kind of productivity which brought all this forth, in a full state of consciousness and which pleases me still, even though perhaps I could never swim again in such a river." It has been said that German poetry is difficult to translate or untranslatable, and this seems true with some translations of Faust, but the Norton contains a superb effort by Walter Arndt which appears always so on the mark that one suspects Arndt actually embellishes the German, but, rather than quibble over accuracy, it is all so good you will hardly care. Goethe builds upon the medieval Faust legend as a skeleton for his own writing in epic-poem style with various meter fashioned to fit the subject. Faust, weary of the ways of the world (one can almost hear the 60s hippy) embarks on a journey of self-discovery, skirt chasing and empire building finally ending in his 100th year in the ultimate trip, with a little help from his friend, Goethe. This composition is remarkable in innumerable ways. One can use a thesaurus of superlatives: wonderful imagery, perfect choice of words, peerless imagination, beautiful poetry, a unity to the whole which is memorable, as well as numerous wonderful scenes and lines, and always an intelligence that seems to absorb and understand everything. Of course, one can differ with Goethe philosophically. There are other angles from which to view life than Faust and his Mephistophelean foil. And Faust, which contains all the universal ingredients, can be faulted at times, dwelling too much on the antique philosophy, politics and literary questions which interested Goethe in his long life. But all this seems irrelevant to Faust as a work of art, permanently canonized for its beauty and writing alone, whatever disparagement or praise one might hold for its meaning or content. The Norton Edition is edited by Cyrus Hamlin whose interpretive notes are scholarly, contain a subtle respect for Goethe, and are in themselves a book worth reading. The selections of Goethe comment and scholarship range from the brilliant to the outer eliptics of literary criticism, and the included illustrations and Goethe letters on composition are a nice touch. The work of Hamlin and the Arndt translation which here frame Goethe as the main event make the Norton Critical Edition of Faust (2000) one of the better books one is likely to pick up.
Greatest Piece of Western Literature.......2001-07-05
Certainly, the sixty years Goethe spent writing volumes I & II paid off. Unlike Shakespeare, there is a moral lesson which sums the human experience regardless of one's actual circumstances. By illusion and yearning are we enmeshed in lifes toils, only to find the simplicity of innocence and life's early beauty, before we possessed, was the greatest of our soul. Though greatly influenced by Shakespeare, Goethe takes the life's tale to another level which is wrapped in other dimensions of past, present, and future, in addition to heavens and hells. The Faustian choice is one made everyday and is weaved into every moment, until death and afterwards.
An understanding of Indian philosophy (i.e., Buddhism, Hinduism) and the Sanskrit texts brings a deeper depth of understanding, with their complexity and breadth giving greater meaning to a highly mystical and even transcendental text.
A review of this edition, not the story.......2001-06-11
I won't bother to review Goethe's "Faust". It's ability to withstand the test of time and invade our lexicon is proof enough of its greatness and worth more than anything I could say. However, I would like to comment specifically on the Norton Critical Edition.
I was not particularly satisfied by this edition. Having never read Faust before, I was expecting this edition to contain within its copious annotations helpful summaries of what was going on in the play. Particularly in Part II, where things are often quite disorienting, a first-time reader would often be lost without some outside help. Unfortunately, this edition, despite all the extras it added, didn't contain what I was looking for.
If you are deeply interested in Faust, and familiar with the story itself, the annotations are amazingly detailed, describing the sources and motivations that guided Goethe. If you are a casual reader, however, they will rarely help you understand what is going on if you get confused. This edition is geared towards the scholarly, not the casual.
Book Description
Stored procedures and built-in functions can greatly expand the power and usefulness of SQL, but surprisingly these highly useful tools remain untapped by many programmers. For programmers who are new to the subject or those who want to expand on what they already know, this book provides a terrific introduction to the creation and use of built-in functions and stored procedures under OS/400 and i5/OS. But what are they?
Built-in functions are a part of practically every programming language and can be a big boost to productivity by identifying and isolating functions that need to be executed repeatedly. SQL makes particularly good use of its built-in functions. Stored procedures are programs that can be called from within SQL—and other programming languages, such as RPG—to process entire datasets. This book will put you on the fast track to using and writing both effectively.
After you learn the basics of these powerful tools, you?ll go on to explore some of the stored procedures and functions included with SQL on the iSeries as part of OS/400 and i5/OS. Author Mike Faust even explains the process of developing custom built-in functions for your own use and has included a stored procedure that can be used to create a crosstab or pivot table representation of supplied data.
This book is the tool you need to boost the power of your i5/OS SQL programming skills.
With SQL Built-In Functions and Stored Procedures, you will:
– Discover how to perform routine maintenance functions, such as copying a file or rebuilding an existing table without losing the data in the existing table.
– Learn how to build data files, modify a library list, and compile programs.
– Practice using example programs that not only teach, but also make excellent additions
to any programmer's library.
– Learn how to use 11 different functions, including functions to edit numeric values for print with commas, decimal points, and currency symbols; a function that returns the distance in miles between two ZIP codes; functions to convert date and currency to a text string and more.
– Gain access to complete code on the Web for each function, which you can use directly in your own programs.
Customer Reviews:
Highly dissappointed in MC Press........2007-03-23
I am a computer programmer/analyst for a major manufacturing company and a need has recently come for us to write some stored procedures for interfacing our machine software on PC workstations with our AS/400. I've written many RPG IV programs with embedded SQL and even wrapped them in stored procedures, but I wanted to learn SPL to try to avoid the middle man. This book was NOT easy-to-understand as advertised. Rather than explain, line by line, what each command does/means so that you can use it for your own purposes, he just gives you an example procedure and tells you what it does. These procedures are supposed to be useful, but we can't use many of them and I think some would be much better served in other languages. I found this book very poorly written and difficult to follow. It started out just fine, but about 50+ pages into it he abandons his clear explanations and goes far beyond a beginner's means--like flooring the pedal in a Firebird. It was almost as if he had a deadline to meet and wrote the second half of the book in a fraction of the time he spent on the first half. If I wanted something so technical and confusing I would have read the free IBM manual rather than buy this book. MC PRESS needs to change this book's rating from 'Novice' to 'Advanced' and a second edition needs to be released correcting all the errors. Mr. Faust you dropped the ball on this one.
DID IT AGAIN.......2005-06-27
Mike Faust did it again. He has given busy professionals a
detailed, percise "how-to" book for SQL built-in functions and stored procedures. There's no excuse not to use these useful, time saving tools once you purchase this book.
Stored Procedures the IBM DB2 Way.......2005-05-18
This book concentrates on using the IBM mid-range computer systems with DB2 as the database.
SQL, is usually thought of as simply a bunch of commands used to manipulate data in a database. Most books talk about the big three SQL commands of SELECT, INSERT, and UPDATE as being just about all that SQL can do.
In reality, the "L" stands for "Language" and the full fledged SQL's in the big databases are full fledged languages. Like other languages, they have logic, loops, functions, and internal variables just like other languages.
While SQL is a standard, each implementation does things just a bit differently. This small book gives a very quick overview of the standard commands like SELECT, but spends most of its pages on doing stored procedures the IBM way.
Product Description
This set of CDs includes a 7 hour lecture on Evidence and a 19 page handout. For the Law School Legends Audio Series, we found the truly gifted law school professors most law students can only dream about - the professors who draw rave reviews not only for their scholarship, but for their ability to make the law easy to understand. We asked these select few professors to condense their courses into a single lecture. And its these lectures youll find in the Law School Legends Audio Series. With Law School Legends, youll get a brilliant law professor explaining an entire subject to you in one simple, dynamic lecture.
Customer Reviews:
Solid.......2007-05-15
Rossi is good at explaining the concepts and some of the mechanics of the rules, and the Italian accent makes it entertaining. All the essential topics are there. He takes long pauses, though, and the CDs don't go into a ton of detail compared to what is in an Evidence course. Freer's Law School Legends Civil Procedure CDs set a high bar, so it is tough to compare.
Bar Exam Lifesaver.......2006-10-26
I found Faust Rossi through BarBri, he gives the evidence lectures for their Bar Review classes. Honestly, I got nothing whatsoever out of my Evidence class in law school; a combination of a huge ampitheatre style room and an unengaging professor. Rossi made Evidence sensical and approachable, especially if you're from the NY area or a fan of shows like the Sopranos his stories are great. He is excellent about giving practical application for the theories he explains (Vinnie whacks Sal; can Vinnie's mom be made to testify she saw him buy the gun the night before and say 'I am going to whack that botchagaloop Sal, capiche?')
If you're still in Law School and slipping behind in Evidence, or if (like me) you got through law school without actually learning anything about evidence and you're faced with the Bar, these are great CDs to add to your collection, and definitely worth the (admittedly rather high) price.
Excellent Study Aid.......2006-01-02
This lecture covers all the major topics tested on the MBE and most likely your Evidence course. Professor Rossi's explanations of the rules are clear enough to understand while driving your car. His hypotheticals to help explain the rules actually appear in a few of the practice multiple choice questions I did and may appear on your exam (as they did on mine). What's more, the hypotheticals truly develop the rules, and Professor Rossi makes them funny and strange so that they'll stick in your head come exam time. Actually, a few times I burst out laughing from the hypotheticals (guess it doesn't take much to humor a stressed-out law student). The more I listened to this lecture the more my understanding of the subject grew. Well worth the time and money spent.
First-class evidence review.......2005-12-07
While I agree with first reviewer that more reference to FRE rules by number would be helpful, I think this gets 5 stars. Helping it all to come together. And this lecturer is mildly entertaining, so this is not QUITE as dull as it could be. Highly recommended.
Well done, and interesting........2005-10-31
Overall, this set of CDs is well done. Professor Rossi is interesting, well-spoken, and keeps the listener interested for what can be a dry subject. He uses examples that are coherent and consistent and easy to understand and his pacing is well-suited to taking notes, though it would help if you can type--I can't.
The production values are high, it comes in a nice case, it is professionally recorded and transferred, and there is a five-year guarantee on the CDs themselves. No worries there.
I don't know why the Amazon page says (did say?) "limited availability--out of print," the lecture is brand new and readily available.
I would have given these lectures 5 stars except for two things: the 19 page handout that comes as a file on one of the CDs, and the rules themselves. It is obvious that whoever wrote the outline initially did NOT have Professor Rossi review it for accuracy or coherence. There are a few glaring, substantive errors, and the writer misses some important stuff. It's really too short, and it's only 19 pages because it is double-spaced--nowhere near enough space to take notes in--but I suppose it looks nice. I used it as a starting point and filled it in from there; it is almost 40 pages, single-spaced.
Additionally, although Professor Rossi assumes that you've had Evidence, and it is pretty easy to determine when he is talking about a specific rule, it would have been clearer had he sprinkled the rule he was discussing into the lecture more often. This is a minor complaint, but it would have tied the lecture to the classroom more efficiently.
Overall, well worth the seven hours spent listening to it, and a great way to improve your knowledge of Evidence. Good luck in law skool!
Average customer rating:
- Enjoyable and a must read!
- Read the man who inspired William Shakespeare
- The Price of Fame....
- Marlowe's Masterpiece.
- "This word damnation terrifies not him"
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Doctor Faustus (Signet Classics)
Christopher Marlowe
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
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ASIN: 0451527798
Release Date: 2001-02-06 |
Book Description
New Mermaids are modernized and fully-annotated editions of classic English plays. Each volume includes:
• The playtext, in modern spelling, edited to the highest bibliographical and textual standards
• Textual notes recording significant changes to the copytext and variant readings
• Glossing notes explaining obscure words and word-play
• Critical, contextual and staging notes
• Photographs of productions where applicable
• A full introduction which provides a critical account of the play, the staging conventions of the time and recent stage history; discusses authorship, date, sources and the text; and gives guidance for further reading.
Edited and updated by leading scholars and printed in a clear, easy-to-use format, New Mermaids offer invaluable guidance for actor, student, and theatre-goer alike.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable and a must read!.......2007-07-26
By his untimely death at 29 Christopher Marlowe had written this and other plays (including The Jew of Malta) which inspired a beginning William Shakespeare to sharpen his craft.
Though the version we have was not recorded until about a decade after Marlowe's death (and therefore shows signs of later adulterations by other writers) you can still observe the genius of Marlowe at work.
The plot of this play is about a well-learnt man, Dr. Faustus, who believing that he has attained all the knowledge there is to learn (knowledge beyond the point of 'this far and no further'), turns to magic.
During one of his rituals he calls upon the underworld to aid him - Mephistopheles duly comes to Faustus' beckoning as any good demon would in their relentless search for souls; however Faustus, in his naive pride, believes that Mephistopheles is there as a result of his conjuring - demons are at his beck and call!
Mephistopheles plays it whatever way Faustus wants it, to ensure capturing his soul. They strike a pact - 24 glorious years of fame and fortune for Faustus, with Mephistopheles as his servant, after which his soul belongs to Lucifer. To make the contract binding Faustus writes out the pact and signs in blood. However, Mephistopheles is portrayed as a figure of sorrow and tries to warn Faustus about what he is getting himself into. But Faustus is unreceptive to the truth and ignores Mephistopheles' warning.
There is the good and bad angel that appear to Dr. Faustus several times. The good angel repeats over and over to Dr. Faustus that he can repent at any time and come back into good graces, while the bad angel keeps on telling him it's too late. The bad angel prevails.
A number of scenes are depicted - the main one being at the Vatican. Faustus is invisible and steals food and wine from under the Pope's nose, followed by putting to sleep a couple of Cardinals and stealing their clothes, and he frees Bruno who is to be put to death for impersonating the pope.
So the story develops - Faustus is the guest at the tables of the figureheads of Europe where he further increases his reputation by bringing to life such people as Helen of Troy. He is introduced to the Seven Deadly sins - Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth and Lechery.
After twenty four years of fame Faustus' time is drawing to a close and he cannot postpone the inevitable. Mephistopheles, Lucifer and Beelzebub appear to collect their payment - the soul of Faustus. At the midnight hour they open the gates of hell. Faustus tries to repent but it's too late and his implorations to God are halfhearted. The devils rip his body apart before casting it aside - it has no use for them - their only currency is the soul.
In the 3rd and 4th acts, Faustus seems to let go of his quest for knowledge (for the most part) and indulges in practical jokes of an evil nature. There are some who feel that the 3rd and 4th acts are way too silly and that they drag the play down.
The 5th act begins, and Faustus has one final chance to avoid his fate, but he resigns himself to damnation if he can 'enjoy' Helen of Troy. The devil always tempts us with sexual fantasies, mankind's ultimate weakness!
The final scene where Faustus realizes that it is too late and hell awaits, is a scene of pure terror almost unparalleled in literature. He moves from requests that cannot be granted to the most imaginative escapes. The play ends with an appropriate warning to stay behind the line of 'this far and no further.'
Christopher Marlow's life is a bit of a mystery. Some historians believe that he might have been a spy. Not surprisingly, one of the groups of people who Marlowe is rumored to have spied on were Catholics intent on overthrowing what they saw as England's Protestant government. The first thing Dr. Faustus does when he makes his famous bargain is to play a practical joke on the Pope.
Marlowe was killed in a bar fight over an unpaid bill, but it seems highly likely that he was murdered because he was a spy.
Read the man who inspired William Shakespeare.......2006-11-24
By his untimely death at 29 Christopher Marlowe had written this and other plays (including The Jew of Malta) which inspired a beginning William Shakespeare to sharpen his craft.
As regards this play, Marlowe was sort of the Pete Best of the era doing his version of the Hey Joe of the era. To continue musical metaphors he didn't invent but merely sampled the Faustus tale and in so doing gave it his own unique spin.
Though the version we have was not recorded until about a decade after Marlowe's death (and therefore shows signs of later adulterations by other writers) you can still observe the genuis of Marlowe at work. By likening his character to the Greek methological story of Dedalus, Marlowe imparts that sense of doom so connected with the potential arrogance of human ambition. As a reminder, Dedalus was affixed wings with wax by his father Icarus only to lose them and fall when Dedalus flew too high and had them melted by the light of the sun.
Similarly Faustus is -- in almost Christmas Carol type fashion -- visited by the personified seven deadly sins and Lucifer himself...itself then a unique device uniquely and effectively executed.
Throughout Marlowe makes us witness to Faustus' growing sense of doom at the irrevocability of his contract with Lucifer.
Sadly, to the modern reader much of the horror of his Faustian bargain is lost to us. For the most part, we moderns don't have the immediate fear of Lucifer that our forebears had. For us today, evil does not lurk in the shadows but is rather all too much before us as we proceed through our days and take note of current events.
Still the same the play was a landmark piece and an inspiration to Shakespeare who had before him an example of the genuis he had to compete with and the standard he had to maintain.
The Price of Fame...........2006-09-29
Tells the tale of the unfortunate Doctor John Faustus - who in return for 24 years of fame and fortune sells his soul to Lucifer. Faustus is a learned gentleman, his pride tells him that he can learn no more from books and the limit of knowledge that they contain. He needs to escape the bounds of the known world and so turns to the world of magic.
During one of his rituals he calls upon the underworld to aid him - Mephistopheles duly comes to Faustus' beckoning as any good demon would in their relentless search for souls (Europe happens to be Mephistopheles stomping ground); however Faustus, in his naive pride, believes that Mephistopheles is there as a result of his conjuering - demons are at his beck and call! Mephistopheles plays it whatever way Fautus wants it, to ensure capturing his soul. They strike a pact - 24 glorious years of fame and fortune for Faustus, with Mephisto as his servent, after which his soul belongs to Lucifer. To make the contract binding Faustus writes out the pact and signs in blood - Mephisto isn't taking any chances.
A number of scenes are depicted - the main one being at the Vatican. Faustus is invisible and steals food and wine from under the Pope's nose, followed by putting to sleep a couple of Cardinals and stealing their clothes, he frees Bruno who is to be put to death for impersonating the pope.
So the story develops - Faustus is the guest at the tables of the figureheads of Europe where he further increases his reputation by bringing to life such people as Helen of Troy. He is introduced to the Seven Deadly sins - Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth & Lechery.
After Twenty and Four years of fame Faustus' time is drawing to a close and he cannot postpone the inevitable. Mephisto, Lucifer and Belzebub appear to collect their payment - the soul of Faustus. At the midnight hour they crack back the gates of hell to reveal his destiny - bodies on endless treadmills, unfortunates being thrown around on pitch forks, souls damned for eternity. Faustus tries to repent but it's too late and his implorations to God are halfhearted. The devils rip his body apart before casting it aside - it has no use for them - their only currency is the soul.
Recommended
Marlowe's Masterpiece. .......2006-07-24
If you saw "Shakespeare In Love," you know this was the play of Marlowe's that was getting so much attention. (For that matter, I found this play better than "Romeo and Juliet," even though "Romeo and Juliet" was to become the big play at the climactic moment.) Moving on, we meet Dr. Faustus, and he decides that the legitimate knowledge of this world is not good enough. So, he decides to cross the line of 'this far and no further' by making an unholy deal. It is interesting that even Mephistophilis (the unholy agent of the devil) is drawn as a figure of sorrow and even tries to warn Faustus about what he is getting himself into. But Faustus is unreceptive to the truth and ignores Mephistophilis's warning. In a scene of shocking horror, Faustus even mocks Mephistophilis for trying to warn him of the dangers involved: "Learn thou of Faustus manly fortitude" (1.3.85). Faustus makes an unholy pact and sells his soul for books that will offer knowledge beyond the point of 'this far and no further,' as well as significant magical powers. It is interesting that even after Faustus makes the pact, he is presented with several opportunities to escape his fate. But he can not give up the fruits of the pact. (His powers, having Mephistophilis at his command, etc.) Later, we see meet the 7 deadly sins. And Faustus's delight at them shows us his degeneration. In the 3rd and 4th acts, Faustus seems to let go of his quest for knowledge (for the most part) and indulges in practical jokes of an evil nature. There are some who feel that the 3rd and 4th acts are way too silly and that they drag the play down. But, I don't think this is the case at all. I can not help but think that Marlowe was emphasizing how worthless the fruits of the pact really were. (Nothing we could ask the devil for could equal the soul which Christ gave us.) Furthermore, in my opinion, we shouldn't be so surprised at Faustus's degeneration. He has made a pact with evil, and evil is basically degeneration through the service of one's self, depite how amoral and sick that service may be. It is our good side that encourages us to better ourselves, hopefully at least in part for the sake of others. The 5th act begins, and Faustus has one final chance to avoid his fate, but he resigns himself to damnation if he can 'enjoy' Helen of Troy. If I were a betting man, I would bet that Marlowe is emphasizing that sex often overrides our rational thoughts. (How many romance plays seem to defy reason?) The final scene where Faustus realizes that it is too late and hell awaits, is a scene of pure terror almost unparalled in literature. He moves from requests that can not be granted to the most imaginative escapes. The play ends with an appropriate warning to stay behind the line of 'this far and no further.'
"This word damnation terrifies not him".......2006-01-31
Christopher Marlowe is awsone. What other Renaissance writer was a freakin' spy? I mean, I like Shakespeare's plays and all, but as a person he's boring unless he's being played by Joseph Fiennes. I often pit two historical figures against one another in my mind, and I wonder what would happen if these two fought. If Shakespeare and Marlowe fought, Marlowe would bust out his super secret digital watch-that's secretly a laser-and he'd slice Shakespeare in half. Maybe `Speare would have a deadly quill like the Joker had in Batman, but a deadly quill versus a laser? I think we know who would win. I know the digital watch/laser is a bit silly because they didn't have digital watches back then, but at the very least he'd have an hourglass with a secret laser.
Reading Dr. Faustus I realize what a shame it is Marlowe died so early. Marlowe's ability to combine drama and comedy was light years ahead of Shakespeare's. It wasn't until the second half of Shakespeare's career that he started writing dark comedies, but Marlowe was interjecting his humor with a dark twist right away with plays like Dr. Faustus and The Jew of Malta. If Marlowe hadn't dies so early (in a fight over who was going to pay the bill no less-freakin' cool!) then maybe there would have been two playwriting giants in London competing against one another. Just imagine the masterpieces that would have ensued. I bet they would have made King Lear look like A Comedy of Errors.
This is the second time I've read Dr. Faustus, and I had forgotten how anti-Catholic it is. The story takes place mostly in Wittenberg, Germany where Martin Luther wrote his famous 95 theses. The location already sets up the tenuous relationship between Protestants and Catholics. This relationship, obviously biased against Catholics, is further represented in the good angel and bad angel that appear to Dr. Faustus several times. The good angel repeats over and over to Dr. Faustus that he can repent at any time and come back into good graces, while the bad angel keeps on telling him it's too late. The obvious analogy is that the good angel represents the Protestant idea of justification by faith. Not surprisingly, one of the groups of people who Marlowe is rumored to have spied on were Catholics intent on overthrowing what they saw as England's Protestant government. Furthermore, the first thing Dr. Faustus does when he makes his famous bargain is to play a practical joke on the Pope.
Please, if you're Catholic don't let this turn you away from reading this beautifully written play. At times the mixture of slapstick comedy and high brow allusions are a bit uneven, but that was the nature of the beast back then. Marlowe had to play to the peasants as well as royalty.
The trick Marlowe plays on the audience is even greater than the trick played on Faustus. Marlowe actually gets us to care about Faustus by the end of the play. This is either a trick to show us how close every one of us is to making a Faustian bargain, or it's a trick to show us how unfair these religious traditions were. After all, what did Faustus do that was so wrong? He goes into the deal with plans for making himself a despot, and ends up using all of his power to fetch grapes for debutants and summon Helen of Troy so that others may see her beauty. (Dr. Faustus has "phenominal cosmic power," and all he can manage is playing a few practical jokes and impressing people with out of season fruits.) He's never punished for his bad acts, but rather because of who he pledged his allegiance to. Over the course of twenty-four years Faustus has actually become a somewhat better person if only because he recognizes his sins. His greatest crimes are nothing more than playing practical jokes on peasants. He's not perfect, but he's also not deserving of eternal damnation.
I see Dr. Faustus as a critique of religion. Others may find that it only reinforces their beliefs, and that's what makes the text so good. The Faustian bargain finds its way into literature time and again, but it means something different to each author; likewise, Dr. Faustus means something different to each reader.
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- Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today
- Children of the Dragon: Selected Tales from Vietnam
- Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
- Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America
- Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee - by Their Son Dodd Darin
- Each Little Bird That Sings
- Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline: The 7 Basic Skills for Turning Conflict into Cooperation
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- From Puerto Rico To Philadelphia
- A Fistful of Charms
- The White-Haired Girl: Bittersweet Adventures of a Little Red Soldier
- This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future
- This Jazz Man
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
- Words From the Land Encounters with Natural History Writing
- Electrician's Technical Reference: Variable Frequency Drives
- Toward a Safer Workplace: Reform and Deregulation of Workers' Compensation
- The Silver Lake Publishing Insurance Dictionary What Means What When It Comes To
Anesthesia: A Comprehensive Review
Anesthesia Secrets: with STUDENT CONSULT Access (Secrets)
Clinical Anesthesiology
Board Stiff Too: Preparing for the Anesthesia Orals
Anesthesia and Co-Existing Disease Fourth Edition (Anesthesia and Co-Existing Disease)
